Captured by the Exotic
by MapleLeaves-VodkaBottles
Summary: Eventual SchneizelxSuzaku. Schneizel-centric. The first 4 chapters will be short character backgrounds for the 4 main Britannian children. !Schneizel's interest in exotic things always manages to get him into worlds of trouble! Rating may change. R
1. Schneizel's Obsession

I'm back, and ready to get all these jumbled ideas out of my head. I need the extra space. lol This will eventually be SchneizelxSuzaku, but I hate when stories are rushed, so it'll be a while before any of that is seen. At first it will be SchneizelxKanon and SuzakuxEuphy. The first four chapters will be some of my own views on why the other children of the Britannian Royal family are the way they are, but the major theme is how Schneizel's interest in exotic things always manages to get him into worlds of trouble. Any feedback is welcomed. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, or any of the characters. I do, however, own the idea for this story! Yay me!

* * *

Captured by the Exotic – Chapter 1: Schneizel's Obsession

He couldn't believe this was happening. Again. Tears fell silently from his eyes as they scanned the desecrated area. Raging flames danced in lavender orbs, and blood matted blonde hair to pale, bruised skin. The prince, once proud and unyielding, now fumbled on aching limbs in his desperate search for his knight. He'd lost another one; first Kanon, and know Suzaku. How could this happen?

_'Again?' _

_~~~ Beginning ~~~_

Schneizel el Britannia had always had a fascination with exotic things: plants, animals, food, objects, and especially people. The prince wasn't sure what caused his infatuation, but he was almost certain that it started when his baby brother, Lelouch, was born. Sure, he had many other siblings, but Lelouch was different. Lelouch was half Japanese, a mixed blood. And oh, how he loved that boy; the way his new born, amethyst eyes stared up at him for the first time… Schneizel didn't know who had been more awestruck – Lelouch as he was seeing the world for the first time, or himself as he held the most beautiful being to ever be born into his life.

As the boy grew, so did his curiosity and knowledge. He would follow the second prince like a puppy, soaking up everything like a sponge, and retaining it like an iron vault. Lelouch wasn't one for physical activity, but his mental capacity was inspiring. Although Lelouch had never beaten Schneizel at chess, the raven had been the only one to give him a run for his money. The young prince had learned the game quickly at the age of seven, and had often sought his older brother out. Even at night when everyone was sleeping. He had a mind of his own, and a will and backbone to back it up.

When Nunnally was born, Lelouch had stood on a chair in the middle of a family dinner with his chest all puffed out, and declared that he would be a great big brother. Even "more gooder than Shnil!" as the rumor went. Schneizel never passed up the opportunity to make his precious little brother red with embarrassment with that story, for it was his favorite. Lelouch would argue vehemently that his speech and grammar had always been perfect.

The news of Lelouch and Nunnally's deaths had paralyzed Schneizel. Their father, the emperor, had called all his children into the throne room where the rest of the enormous family and media resided. The man had given a heart wrenching tale about how his wife and two youngest children had been ripped away from him. Schneizel didn't know the truth, but he knew that the emotion behind the story was a farce.

Even though Odysseus was the oldest, his heart was too tender to take the news, and he broke down crying. Cornelia did the same, but she was able to somewhat comfort Clovis and Euphemia. But Schneizel… Schneizel stood rooted to the spot, his lavender eyes wide with a far off look, as if he were watching a movie. In a sense, he was.

All the memories of Lelouch and Nunnally bombarded his mind. The laughter, the tears, the sibling squabbles, even the silence – it all paralyzed him. The news crew rushed to them; shouting questions, flashing cameras and recording, and shoving mics in their faces, but the second prince couldn't answer. He couldn't do anything. The only proof of his own existence was his physical body. His mind, heart, spirit, and soul were gone. He was left standing there in the middle of the throne room for three days. His brothers and sisters all tried to snap him out of his trance, but nothing worked.

On the night of the third day, Schneizel had wandered like a zombie to Nunnally's room, collected her dolls, stuffed animals, and favorite blanket, then holed himself up in Lelouch's room. He had gone undisturbed for a week.

* * *

Okay! Don't be confused by the first paragraph, it'll make sense later on. The next chapter will be in the present tense. Please review and tell me whatchya think!

– MapleVodka –


	2. Knowing Clovis

First, I'd like to say thank you to the two that alerted my story, Lunakatsuma and bridgetwidget. Both your names rhyme lol Although a review would have been nice, I'm glad that I can still get someone to like my stories enough to want to be alerted to updates. That did make me happy!

Second, this chapter will be a small look into why Clovis is a bit messed up. When Lelouch revealed himself, Clovis just didn't act the way I thought someone would act when they found that their supposed dead brother was actually alive, even with a gun pointed at their head. But that's just my logic ;p I got the impression that Clovis didn't particularly like Lelouch as a child, and here's an idea as to why.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, or any of the characters. I do, however, own the idea for this story! Yay me!

* * *

Captured by the Exotic – Chapter 2: Knowing Clovis

_~~~ Present ~~~_

"But Schneizel," Cornelia's pleading voice fell on deaf ears. "I'm younger than you, and even I have a knight."

"I refuse to choose a champion," Schneizel let out an irritated sigh, but kept his tone calm. "At least not until I've made a real connection with the right person."

"Brother…" Thin arms came from behind, and wrapped around the second prince's neck. Schneizel stiffened. This was an action that Lelouch had always taken to calm him down in a stressed situation. _'How dare he…'_ "I understand your need for a deeper connection beyond the guard and the guarded, but-"

"Clovis!" Everyone in the room jumped at Schneizel's outburst. The young prince clenched his jaw and breathed slowly. The arms that intended to soothe him didn't have the same effect as when his precious Lelouch did it. The raven haired boy always understood that sometimes words were meaningless, and simple physical contact spoke volumes. "You understand _nothing_." The iciness in the teen's voice caused a chill to go through Clovis, and the frightened boy stepped back with trembling lips. He glanced toward Cornelia before running from the room. From the brother he loved so much. From the brother who hardly acknowledged him anymore.

Cornelia narrowed her eyes on her older brother. "That was dangerously uncalled for." Her voice was hard and angry. "You know how much he adores you, yet you continue to treat him as a nuisance." Schneizel stood and stalked to the window.

"He's trying to take-"

"Lelouch's place?"

Neither prince nor princess dared to breathe. Or perhaps they forgot how. Cornelia spoke first, her voice strained with the effort it took to keep from crying. "You miss Lelouch, and Nunnally, but you are _not_ the only one." She turned and walked stiffly to the door. Before leaving, the young girl leveled the back of her brother's head with a death glare. "Stop being so self-centered." And with that, Cornelia left Schneizel by himself, with nothing but his thoughts and memories.

* * *

Cornelia found Clovis hiding under the bushes in Lady Marianne's garden. The boy always ran back to the same spot, hiding away from the painful world. The princess sighed and knelt down in front of her sniffling little brother, and stroked his hair.

"I hate him," Cornelia frowned at her brother's words.

"Who do you hate, Clovis?"

"Lelouch." Clovis's blonde hair fell over his eyes, and he brought his knees up to his chest where he hid his face. "I'm horrible for hating him, especially after his death, but…" His small arms hugged his legs tightly as he trembled. "And… I hate Nunnally." Cornelia could only stare wide-eyed as her brother spoke. "Lelouch always had Schneizel's attention, _all of it_, even now when he's gone!" His voice shook with each word, and his tone became jealous. "And Nunnally had you and Euphemia!" Clovis stood suddenly, glaring with teary eyes at his oldest sister. "You all had each other! While I had _no one_! I'm still all by myself!"

Stunned and heartbroken, Cornelia was frozen to the spot while Clovis once again ran away. "I never… knew…" Tears spilled from her eyes with this revelation. _'None of us ever knew Clovis.'_

* * *

Woooo! I think this one is longer than the first chapter. I'm not sure. Anyway, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review! You've reduced me to begging! DX lol Next chapter is on Euphy.

– MapleVodka –


	3. Euphy's Declaration

N'awwww! ^^ Thanks for reviewing! You have no idea how happy they made me.

Luna: I think if Lelouch and Nunnally had never been sent away, that they and the others might have become all of those things. But in my personal experience, certain dramatic events shape and mold people, especially young ones as they are easily influenced. The "deaths" of Lulu and Nunna, I believe, would have a huge effect on all of them, and because people are different, the impact would be different for each one of them. It took me a while to realize that after watching Code Geass so many times. I don't think they would be the way they are in the anime simply because they're royalty. I'm glad that I could give you a new point of view on them.

Fra I'm guessing is bridgetwidget?: I know! I love him so much! DX Don't worry, he'll make his appearance! Just stick with me a little longer!

Rouge: Oh, he'll become the ruthless man we see in the series, but that's due to the events that take place. I think that the power of Geass didn't only affect Lelouch, but everyone. In my own opinion, Schneizel truly wanted the Special Zone to work, but after Euphy being shot, and in R2, Lelouch not only being suspected of being Zero, but also proved to be alive, and throw in the fact that Cornelia was supposedly killed by him… I mean, that would be a steel-toed kick to the balls! And in Suzaku's case, the Geass twisted his best friend, and he watched as said friend shot and killed the woman he loved. Geass f***ed everyone over, changing them from what they once were, to mere shells that housed broken hearts and spirits.

As for Clovis getting more love, don't worry! That'll come!

As far as Euphy's determination in giving the Japanese back their home, I think something would had to have happened to make her want to do that. By all standards, she would have every right to hate the numbers: she was told that Lulu, Nunna, and Lady Marianne were killed by number terrorists, and Zero, being a terrorist for the Elevens, killed Clovis. That's four members of her family taken by terrorists. Why then would she want to help them? This is what I think happened.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, or any of the characters. I do, however, own the idea for this story! Yay me!

* * *

Captured by the Exotic – Chapter 3: Euphy's Declaration

Schneizel sighed as he massaged hi temples. His father, Emperor Charles zi Britannia, had once again arranged a knight gathering; this would be the third one in two months. The only purpose these damn gatherings served was to irritate the young prince, and make him further hate the _mundane_ Britannian royals. There was absolutely nothing special about them.

A knock brought Schneizel out of his dreary musings. "Schneizel?" It was Euphy. A small smile played at his lips. He was glad it was Euphy that came to get him. She was the only one who didn't badger him about things, and… aside from Nunnally, she had been the closest to Lelouch.

"I'm coming, Euphy," he answered as he opened the door and stepped out into the hall with her. He smiled down at her, and led her to the ballroom. "Here we go again."

* * *

"Ah! Princess Euphemia," an elderly woman reached out a frail and shaking hand, and grasped Euphy's small one in her own. "How have you been, dear?"

Euphemia remembered this woman – Duchess Arline Maldini. The woman had been kind to Euphy the few times they met, so she made a note to try and remember as much about the duchess as possible. She racked her six year old brain for any details on Duchess Maldini.

_'Let's see…'_ Euphy allowed the kind woman to pull her into a gentle hug while she tried to remember. _'She has a small poodle, three children – one son, and two daughters. Oh, yes… her son… died.' _ A pang of sadness stabbed at the child's heart. There was always so much death, especially in times of war. The princess forced a smile as she looked up at the woman. _'I won't ask about that.'_ She hated when people asked how she was holding up in the wake of Lelouch and Nunnally's deaths. It was… condescending. She knew they didn't really care; she was six, not stupid. _'There was… her son had only one child, a boy.'_

"I've been well," Euphemia led the duchess to an armchair, as the old woman looked rather tired. "How is your grandson, Kanon, doing? Last I heard, he was working on joining the military."

The grandmotherly twinkle suddenly left the woman's eyes, and she frowned deeply, making her appear unfriendly. "Ah, yes," her once gentle voice was now almost a hiss. "Thank you for _reminding_ me."

Before Euphy could respond, a young boy, about Schneizel's age, with rose-pink hair and sky blue eyes walked hesitantly toward them. She briefly wondered why he had his head down, and dressed like a butler, before smiling happily up at him.

"Kanon!" She scurried toward him, and stood with her hands behind her back. "How have you been? Your grandmother and I were just talking about you."

Instead of answering, Kanon bowed deep with a muttered, "Princess," and stayed that way. "Make yourself useful, and get me tea," Duchess Maldini's voice was cold and angry. Once again, the rosette quietly uttered a quick, "Yes, my lady," and hurried to comply. Euphemia could only stare in shock.

"W-why are you treating Kanon like some servant?" She asked indignantly. The boy was her grandson, for Christ's sake!

The answer came with such aloofness, one would think they were merely discussing the weather. "He's an Eleven. Half, anyway." The last part was mumbled under her breath.

And the gentle elderly woman was gone, in her place was a bitter, status-crazed old hag. Euphy found her revolting.

"What does that matter?" The sweet princess suddenly became an angry lioness. Or more a flustered house kitten, sharp claws extracted, and small fangs bared.

"He's disgusting!" The woman's eyes flashed.

"He's still your grandson." The wrinkled witch went to retort, but Euphy wasn't leaving her room to cover her toxic words. "My brother and sister, Prince Lelouch vi Britannia, and Princess Nunnally vi Britannia were also half Japanese!" By this time, the two had acquired curious and wary onlookers from the party. "Do you mean to imply that children of the Imperial Family are disgusting as well, _Duchess Maldini_?"

The hag sat gaping like a suffocating fish, her big nose and dried lips wrinkled with embarrassed anger. "Eleven or Nine, or Britannian," unshed tears shone in Euphy's violet eyes, and her small clenched fists shook at her sides. "Kanon is your grandson, and you're supposed to love him."

With that, the pink haired princess ran from the ballroom and made her way to Lady Marianne's garden. It seemed the garden offered solace for the children.

* * *

Her small feet were wearing a short-distanced path in the middle of the garden as she paced. Euphemia couldn't believe the gall of that woman! Disregarding her own grandson, using him as a servant, just because he was half Japanese! Just because his father was no longer alive to protect him, and his mother, due to her Eleven status, couldn't protect him. She was furious.

Small sounds of anger, frustration, and sadness threatened to tear from Euphy's throat, but she tried to hold them back. She didn't understand. Why was being born of a different ethnicity wrong? What made it "disgusting"? Lelouch and Nunnally had been half Japanese, and Lady Marianne had been a pure bred Japanese native – the three of them had been nothing but beautiful, gentle, intelligent, strong, and just a bit mischievous. What was bad about that? And Kanon? He was an exceptionally lovely boy.

Euphemia knew her father's motto: "All men are not created equal." She also knew what her father meant by that, but her young and naïve mind could wrap around such prejudice. To her, being different was a good thing. It meant you were unique, and that made people beautiful.

Try as she might, a long and frustrated scream escaped from the child's lips. Her mind was made up. Euphy clambered up to stand on the ledge of the small fountain in the center of the garden.

"I swear! One day, I'm going to give the world… back to the world!"

* * *

Teeheehee! In comes Kanon! His and Schneizel will meet in chapter 5. The next chapter will be on Cornelia, so stick with me as the story progresses! Please and thank you for reviewing!

– MapleVodka –


End file.
